JP7581381B2 - Method, apparatus and system for handover in a multi-connection network - Patents.com - Google Patents

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This disclosure is based on and claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202010472373.4, filed on May 29, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The present disclosure relates to the field of communications technology, and in particular to a handover method, a network device, and a system in a multi-connection network.

With the rapid development of the mobile Internet, users are gradually increasing their demands for network speed. In order to meet users' requirements for business rates, 5G (fifth generation) mobile networks are being implemented and deployed. With the implementation of 5G networks, there are currently multiple mobile communication network standards, such as 5G mobile networks, 4G (fourth generation) mobile networks, and 3G (third generation) mobile networks. In a mobile network environment where mobile networks of different standards coexist, the multiple connection technology enables a user terminal to aggregate the business rates of mobile networks of different standards to increase the transmission rate, thereby improving the user's business experience in the multiple connection network.

In a multiple access network including a core network and an access network, the access network generally adopts a network architecture in which the control plane and the user plane are separated from each other. For example, in a 5G NSA (Non-Standalone) scenario, options 3, 4, 7 and 8 have been proposed for the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), allowing a terminal to establish a connection with a 4G base station and a connection with a 5G base station simultaneously (dual access). At present, the mainstream networking mode is option 3. Since the deployment frequency of 4G base stations is lower than that of 5G base stations, the coverage area of 4G base stations is larger than that of 5G base stations. Therefore, in option 3, in order to achieve the purpose of integrating the performance of 4G and 5G networks, the 4G base station is responsible for transmitting control plane information, while the 5G base station and the 4G base station are both responsible for transmitting user plane data via dual access technology.

According to three specific implementation forms included in option 3, the user plane data of the terminal may be transmitted in three ways. As shown in FIG. 1, option 3 specifically includes option 3, option 3a, and option 3x, where the transmission of control plane information is indicated by a dotted arrow, and the transmission of user plane data is indicated by a solid arrow. In option 3, the user plane data of the terminal is split to a 5G base station via a 4G base station, and in option 3a, the user plane data of the terminal is split to a 4G base station and a 5G base station via a core network (EPC, Evolved Packet Core network), for example, the user plane data of the terminal is split to a 4G base station and a 5G base station via a Serving GateWay (SGW) in the EPC. In option 3x, the user plane data of the terminal is split to a 4G base station via a 5G base station. The protocol stacks of the 4G base station and the 5G base station include, for example, a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, a Media Access Control (MAC) layer, a Physical (PHY) layer, and the like. Both the 4G base station and the 5G base station are connected to an EPC (Evolved Packet Core). The 4G base station is, for example, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) base station, and the 5G base station is, for example, a New Radio (NR) base station.

Currently, due to the high cost of building a 5G network, it is desired that multiple operators in different regions jointly build and share a 5G network in order to save the investment of the 5G network. And the 5G users of various shared operators can use the 5G networks built by different operators. For example, in the network joint construction and sharing mode, the infrastructure of the 5G network may be set up by operator A in some cities, by operator B in other cities, and by operator C in further cities. In the NSA scenario, the 4G base station is generally the anchor of the 5G base station. Thus, the local construction operator shares the control plane of the 4G network with other operators, so that the users of the other shared operators can access the NSA network. When the terminal is moving within the boundary area of the joint construction and sharing network built by different operators, due to the change of the construction operator, the control plane channel of the 4G network of the terminal needs to be taken over, and the user plane channel also needs to be switched.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a handover method in a multiple connection network is provided, the method including: determining a type of a user of a terminal during a handover process of the terminal to a multiple connection network of a construction operator, the type including a first type indicating that the user is a user of a shared operator or a second type indicating that the user is a user of the construction operator; determining a user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal according to the type of the user of the terminal; if the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split-disabled, switching the user plane channel of the terminal to a user plane channel of a first standard network of the construction operator; and if the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split-enabled, switching the user plane channel of the terminal to a user plane channel of a first standard network of the construction operator and a user plane channel of a second standard network.

In some embodiments, the step of determining a user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal according to a type of a user of the terminal includes a step of determining that the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split-disabled if the type of the user of the terminal is a first type, and a step of determining that the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split-enabled if the type of the user of the terminal is a second type.

In some embodiments, the step of determining a user plane splitting policy corresponding to the terminal according to a type of user of the terminal includes, when the networking mode includes splitting user plane data from a base station in the second standard network or splitting user plane data from a base station in the first standard network, determining a user plane splitting policy corresponding to the terminal according to a type of user of the terminal and an occupancy rate of user plane air interface resources provided by a base station in the second standard network and occupied by all terminals whose users are of the same type as the terminal.

In some embodiments, the step of determining a user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal according to the type of the user of the terminal and the occupancy rate of the user plane air interface resources provided by the base station in the second standard network and occupied by all terminals belonging to the shared operator's users, includes the steps of: determining whether the occupancy rate of the user plane air interface resources provided by the base station in the second standard network and occupied by all terminals belonging to the shared operator's users reaches a threshold if the type of the user of the terminal is a first type; determining that the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split disabled if the occupancy rate does not reach the threshold; and determining that the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split enabled if the occupancy rate does not reach the threshold; and determining that the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split enabled if the type of the user of the terminal is a second type.

In some embodiments, the method further includes, after determining the user plane splitting policy corresponding to the terminal, storing the user plane splitting policy corresponding to the terminal in association with the identification information of the terminal.

In some embodiments, the step of storing the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal in association with the terminal identification information includes a step of setting a split switch of a user plane channel of the second standard network corresponding to the terminal identification information to an off state when it is determined that the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split-disabled, and a step of setting a split switch of a user plane channel of the second standard network corresponding to the terminal identification information to an on state when it is determined that the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split-enabled.

In some embodiments, determining the type of the user of the terminal includes, in response to receiving control plane information of the terminal, obtaining terminal identification information from the control plane information or via an interface with a network device to which the terminal is connected prior to the terminal handover process, and determining the type of the user of the terminal according to the terminal identification information.

In some embodiments, the step of determining the type of the user of the terminal during the handover process of the terminal to the infrastructure operator's multiple connection network includes, if an interface is established between the infrastructure operator's network device and the network device to which the terminal was connected before the terminal handover process, obtaining a public land mobile network (PLMN) number of the terminal via the interface and determining the type of the user of the terminal according to the PLMN number, or, if an interface is not established between the infrastructure operator's network device and the network device to which the terminal was connected before the terminal handover process, obtaining a PLMN number of the terminal via a radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment process with the terminal and determining the type of the user of the terminal according to the PLMN number.

In some embodiments, the method further includes switching the terminal's control plane to a control plane channel of the construction operator's second standard network.

In some embodiments, if the networking mode includes splitting user plane data from a base station in the second standard network or splitting user plane data from a base station in the first standard network, the split switch is configured in a base station in the second standard network, and if the networking mode includes splitting user plane data from a core network of the second standard network, the split switch is configured in a core network device.

In some embodiments, the first standard network is a fifth generation mobile network and the second standard network is a fourth generation mobile network or a third generation mobile network.

According to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a network device in a multi-connection network, the network device comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor and storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a handover method in a multi-connection network according to any one of the above embodiments.

According to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform a handover method in a multi-connection network according to any one of the above embodiments.

According to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, a system in a multiple connection network is provided, the system including a network device in the multiple connection network according to any of the above embodiments, and a terminal that is taken over by the multiple connection network of a construction provider and is configured to transmit user plane data via a user plane channel of the construction provider's first standard network when a user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split-disabled, and to transmit user plane data via a user plane channel of the construction provider's first standard network and a user plane channel of the second standard network when a user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split-enabled.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention and, together with the exemplary embodiments of the present application, serve to explain the present disclosure but are not intended to limit the present invention.

1 is a schematic diagram of a dual connectivity mode of an NSA network according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. 4 is a schematic flow chart of a handover method in a multi-connection network according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. 4 is a schematic flow chart of a handover method in a multi-connection network according to another embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a change in a dual connectivity (DC) bearer during a terminal handover process in an NSA dual connectivity network environment constructed by combining a 4G network and a 5G network according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. A schematic diagram showing the change of a dual connectivity (DC) bearer during a terminal handover process in an NSA dual connectivity network environment built by combining a 4G network and a 5G network according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a network device in a multi-connection network according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram of a network device in a multi-connection network according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram of a network device in a multi-connection network according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system in a multi-connection network according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

The technical solutions of each embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below clearly and completely with reference to the drawings of each embodiment. Obviously, only some embodiments of the present disclosure are given herein, not all embodiments of the present disclosure. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature, and is not intended as a limitation on the present invention, its application or use. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present disclosure without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

The inventors have found that in the three specific implementation forms of option 3, both the 5G base station and the 4G base station are responsible for the transmission of user plane data via dual connectivity technology. Currently, due to the inconsistent progress of the construction of 4G networks of various operators, it is generally desired to operate the 4G user plane separately without sharing, or to flexibly control the degree to which the 4G user plane is shared with users of other operators. Based on the three specific implementation forms of option 3, in the handover process of the terminal in the boundary area between the co-construction network and the shared network, when the terminal is handed over to a network constructed by any operator, the user plane channel of the terminal needs to be switched to the 4G user plane channel and the 5G user plane channel of the operator. In this situation, it is still necessary for the 5G base station and the 4G base station to be responsible for the transmission of user plane data, which does not meet the needs of the operator. Generalizing to other multiple connectivity networks, in the handover process of the terminal in the boundary area between the co-construction network and the shared network, the user attributes of the terminal are different for different operators. In a situation where a terminal is handed over to a network of a construction operator, the construction operator may wish to flexibly control the degree to which the user plane of the first standard network is shared with users of other shared operators while sharing the user plane of the second standard network with users of other shared operators. Therefore, the problem to be solved is how to realize the sharing of the user plane of the first standard network when the degree of sharing of the user plane of the second standard network is controllable during the terminal handover process.

The technical problem that this disclosure aims to solve is a method for enabling sharing of a first standard network during a terminal handover process while flexibly controlling the degree of sharing of the user plane of a second standard network based on requirements.

The present disclosure provides a handover method in a multiple connection network, which is described below with reference to Figures 2 to 4B. The user plane channel and the control plane channel in the present disclosure are logical channels and refer to resources used to transmit user plane data and resources used to transmit control plane information, respectively.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a handover method in a multi-connection network according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the method of these embodiments includes steps S202 to S208.

In step S202, the network device of the construction provider determines the user type of the terminal during the process of handing over the terminal to the construction provider's multiple connection network.

In network co-construction and sharing mode, the constructor is an operator responsible for constructing a network in a certain area, and the sharing operator is another operator that shares part or all of the network with the constructor. The constructor's multi-connection network accessed by the terminal includes at least two standard networks, for example a first standard network and a second standard network, and the terminal is connected to each of the different standard networks. For example, the first standard network is a fifth generation mobile network, and the second standard network is a fourth generation mobile network or a third generation mobile network.

For example, if the networking mode includes splitting user plane data from a base station in the second standard network or splitting user plane data from a base station in the first standard network, the network equipment of the construction operator is a base station in the second standard network. If the networking mode includes splitting user plane data from a core network of the second standard network, the network equipment of the construction operator is a core network device. If the first standard network is a 5G network and the second standard network is a 4G network, the network equipment of the construction operator in the above three cases may correspond to specific network equipment in the option 3 scenario, the option 3x scenario and the option 3a scenario, respectively. The network equipment of the construction operator acts as a target network equipment in the handover process, and the terminal is handed over from the source network equipment to the network equipment of the construction operator. The network equipment (to which the terminal is connected) before and after the handover process may belong to the same operator or different operators, and this solution is applicable to both of these situations.

The type of the user of the terminal includes a first type indicating that the user is a shared operator user, or a second type indicating that the user is a construction operator user. In some embodiments, the construction operator's network device, in response to receiving the control plane information of the terminal, obtains the terminal's identification information from the control plane information or via an interface with the network device to which the terminal is connected before the terminal handover process, and then determines the type of the user of the terminal according to the terminal's identification information. For example, the control plane information includes information in an RRC (Radio Resource Control) connection establishment process between the construction operator's network device and the terminal, and the terminal's identification information includes the terminal's PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network) number. For example, the terminal's identification information includes an IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) including the PLMN number. The control plane information may include signaling for other access procedures, such as an attach request, and is not limited to the illustrated example.

Because each operator has a different PLMN number, the operator attributes (user type) of users of different terminals can be identified based on the PLMN number. In some embodiments, if an interface is set between the network device of the construction operator and the network device to which the terminal is connected before the terminal handover process, the network device of the construction operator obtains the PLMN number of the terminal through the interface and determines the user type of the terminal according to the PLMN number. The network devices of different operators may or may not have an interface between them. If such an interface exists, the network device to which the terminal is connected before the terminal handover process can transmit the PLMN number to the network device of the construction operator to which the terminal is connected after the terminal handover process through the interface.

In another embodiment, if no interface is set between the network device of the construction operator and the network device to which the terminal is connected before the handover process of the terminal, the network device of the construction operator obtains the PLMN number of the terminal from the signaling in the handover process. For example, if the network device of the construction operator is a base station of a second standard network, the network device of the construction operator obtains the PLMN number of the terminal through an RRC connection establishment process with the terminal, and determines the type of the user of the terminal according to the PLMN number. The PLMN number includes a Mobile Country Code (MCC) and a Mobile Network Code (MNC), and the operator network to which the user belongs can be determined based on the MNC. The handover process in the multiple connection network includes a process of establishing an RRC connection between the terminal and the base station. For the handover process, reference can be made to the prior art, and it will not be repeated here. In this solution, the terminal's PLMN number is identified from signaling during the handover process, which determines the terminal's user type.

In step S204, the network device of the construction provider determines a user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal according to the type of the terminal user.

The user plane split policy may be a user-level setting, i.e., the user plane split policy is set correspondingly for each terminal user. The user plane split policy of the terminal may include split disabled and split enabled. Split disabled means that the user plane data of the terminal is prohibited from being split to networks not shared with the terminal by the construction operator. Split enabled means that the user plane data of the terminal is allowed to be split to all networks of the construction operator. In some embodiments, if the user of the terminal is a user of the shared operator, i.e., the type of the user is a first type, the construction operator's network device determines that the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split disabled, and if the user of the terminal is a user of the construction operator, i.e., the type of the user is a second type, the construction operator's network device determines that the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split enabled.

In another embodiment, the infrastructure operator can control the sharing degree of the user plane channel of a specific network (such as the second standard network) to the users of the sharing operator, and the sharing degree can be determined through negotiation between the infrastructure operator and the sharing operator. For example, the infrastructure operator can share the user plane air interface resources of the base station in the second standard network with the sharing operator at a certain ratio. Since the information of the user plane air interface resources is mainly obtained by the base station, when the networking mode includes dividing the user plane data from the base station in the second standard network or dividing the user plane data from the base station in the first standard network, the network device of the infrastructure operator determines the user plane division policy corresponding to the terminal according to the type of the user of the terminal and the occupancy rate of the user plane air interface resources provided by the base station in the second standard network and occupied by all terminals whose users are the same type as the terminal. For options 3, 3a and 3x, the above-mentioned method is mainly applicable to options 3 and 3x. The occupancy rate is the ratio of the user plane air interface resources occupied by all terminals whose users are the same type as the terminal to all user plane air interface resources provided by the base station in the second standard network.

In addition, if the user of the terminal is a user of the construction operator, the construction operator's network device determines whether the occupancy rate of the user plane air interface resources provided by the base station in the second standard network and occupied by all terminals belonging to the user of the shared operator reaches a threshold, and if the occupancy rate reaches the threshold, determines that the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split invalid, and if the occupancy rate does not reach the threshold, determines that the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split valid. That is, if the user plane air interface resources of the base station in the second standard network occupied by the user of the shared operator connected to the base station in the second standard network reach a threshold, the terminal is set to split invalid after being handed over to the multiple connection network. If the user of the terminal is a user of the construction operator, the construction operator's network device determines that the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split valid. For example, the user plane air interface resources are user plane air interface channel resources or user plane air interface path resources.

In step S206, if the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal disables splitting, the network device of the construction provider switches the user plane channel of the terminal to the user plane channel of the construction provider's first standard network.

In step S208, if the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split-enabled, the network device of the construction provider switches the user plane channel of the terminal to the user plane channel of the construction provider's first standard network and the user plane channel of the second standard network.

In some embodiments, when the network device of the construction operator is a core network device, the core network device transmits the user plane split policy of the terminal to a base station in the second standard network (i.e., a base station responsible for the control plane). The base station in the second standard network assigns a user plane channel of the construction operator's first standard network to the terminal, or assigns a user plane channel of the construction operator's first standard network and a user plane channel of the second standard network to the terminal, in accordance with the user plane split policy. That is, the base station in the construction operator switches the user plane channel of the terminal to the user plane channel of the construction operator's first standard network, or switches the user plane channel of the terminal to the user plane channel of the construction operator's first standard network and a user plane channel of the second standard network, in accordance with the user plane split policy.

The user plane channel of the terminal may change the network standard before and after the handover process. For example, if the user of the terminal is a user of the construction operator, and the terminal located in the shared operator's network before the handover process moves to the construction operator's network in the boundary area between the joint construction network and the shared network, the terminal changes from originally using the user plane channel of the shared operator's first standard network to using the user plane channel of the first standard network and the user plane channel of the second standard network of the construction operator after the handover process. If the user of the terminal is a user of the construction operator, and the terminal located in the shared operator's network before the handover process moves to the construction operator's network in the boundary area between the joint construction network and the shared network, the terminal changes from originally using the user plane channel of the shared operator's first standard network and the user plane channel of the second standard network of the construction operator after the handover process.

The procedure for determining the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal according to the type of the user of the terminal and the occupancy rate of the user plane air interface resources provided by the base station in the second standard network and occupied by all terminals whose users are of the same type as the terminal is similar to the above procedure, which may cause a change in the user plane split policy before and after the handover process of the terminal, thereby causing a change in the network standard of the user plane channel, and is not repeated here. Through the above process, the user-level switching control operation is performed based on the type of the user, and flexible control of the sharing of the user plane of the first standard network and the sharing degree of the user plane of the second standard network can be achieved, thereby realizing a network sharing scheme in which the first standard network can be jointly constructed for sharing and the second standard network can operate relatively independently.

In the above embodiment, the construction provider's network device identifies whether the user of the terminal is a construction provider's user or a shared provider's user during the process of handing over the terminal to the construction provider's multiple connection network. The construction provider's network device determines a user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal according to the type of the terminal's user. If the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split-disabled, the construction provider's network device switches the user plane channel of the terminal to the user plane channel of the construction provider's first standard network. If the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split-enabled, the construction provider's network device switches the user plane channel of the terminal to the user plane channel of the construction provider's first standard network and the user plane channel of the second standard network.

When a terminal is handed over to the border area of a multiple connection co-construction shared network, the method of the above embodiment can achieve flexible control of the sharing degree of the user plane of the second standard network based on requirements while enabling sharing of the first standard network. Flexible switching to the user plane channel of the second standard network can be realized based on different types of users of each terminal. The above method is applicable to NSA scenarios. When the first standard network is a 5G network and the second standard network is a 4G network, the sharing degree of the user plane of the 4G network can be flexibly controlled according to the type of user while enabling sharing of the 5G network by all users after the handover. In this way, the goals of co-construction and sharing of the 5G network and the relatively independent operation of the 4G network can be achieved, which can ensure the implementation of 5G network co-construction and sharing, and can reduce the cost of 5G network construction.

In the process of a terminal accessing a multiple access network, the sharing of the user plane of the first standard network can be realized while flexibly controlling the sharing degree of the user plane of the second standard network. For example, during the process of a terminal accessing a multiple access network of a construction operator, the construction operator's network device determines the type of the user of the terminal. The construction operator's network device determines a user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal according to the type of the user of the terminal, and when the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split-disabled, the construction operator's network device assigns a user plane channel of the construction operator's first standard network to the terminal to transmit the user plane data of the terminal, and when the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split-enabled, the construction operator's network device assigns a user plane channel of the construction operator's first standard network and a user plane channel of the second standard network to the terminal to transmit the user plane data of the terminal. The handover process can be referred to for the process of determining the user type of the terminal and the user plane split policy. Through the cooperation of the handover process and the access process, the sharing of the user plane of the first standard network can be realized while flexibly controlling the sharing degree of the user plane of the second standard network in the entire communication process.

With reference to FIG. 3, a flowchart of a handover method in a multi-connection network according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is described below. As shown in FIG. 3, the method of these embodiments includes steps S302 to S316.

In step S302, in response to receiving the control plane information of the terminal, the network device of the construction provider obtains the identification information of the terminal from the control plane information or via an interface with the network device to which the terminal was connected before the terminal handover process.

In step S304, the network device of the construction company determines the type of user of the terminal according to the terminal identification information.

The terminal identification information includes, for example, the PLMN number.

In step S306, the network device of the construction provider determines a user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal according to the type of the terminal user.

For details on this step, please refer to the embodiment above.

In step S308, the network device of the construction provider stores the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal in association with the terminal identification information.

The user plane splitting policy can be stored as an item of the terminal's attribute information in association with the terminal's identification information. For example, the user plane splitting policy can be expressed by a numerical value such as "1" for enabled splitting and "0" for disabled splitting. Here, the terminal identification information refers to information that can uniquely identify the terminal.

In some embodiments, a splitting switch may be provided corresponding to each terminal user. When the network device of the construction operator determines that the user plane splitting policy corresponding to the terminal is split-disabled, the splitting switch of the user plane channel of the second standard network corresponding to the terminal's identification information is set to an off state, and when the network device of the construction operator determines that the user plane splitting policy corresponding to the terminal is split-enabled, the splitting switch of the user plane channel of the second standard network corresponding to the terminal's identification information is set to an on state. The state of the splitting switch may be expressed by a number, for example, "1" for the on state and "0" for the off state, but is not limited to the illustrated example. When the networking mode includes splitting user plane data from a base station in the second standard network or splitting user plane data from a base station in the first standard network, the splitting switch may be configured in the base station in the second standard network, and when the networking mode includes splitting user plane data from a core network of the second standard network, the splitting switch may be configured in the core network device.

In step S310, the network device of the construction company assigns a user plane channel to the terminal according to the user plane splitting policy corresponding to the terminal, i.e., switches the user plane channel of the terminal according to the user plane splitting policy corresponding to the terminal.

A user plane channel can be assigned to the terminal according to the state of the split switch. When the networking mode includes splitting user plane data from a base station in the second standard network or splitting user plane data from a base station in the first standard network, the network device of the construction operator may be a base station in the second standard network (a base station in charge of the control plane). When the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split disabled, the base station in the second standard network can assign a user plane channel of the first standard network to the terminal, i.e., switch the user plane channel of the terminal to the user plane channel of the first standard network. When the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split enabled, the base station in the second standard network can assign a user plane channel of the first standard network and a user plane channel of the second standard network to the terminal, i.e., switch the user plane channel of the terminal to the user plane channel of the first standard network and the user plane channel of the second standard network. The process of assigning a user plane channel includes interactions between the base station in the second standard network and the base station in the first standard network. For this process, reference can be made to the prior art, and will not be repeated here.

When the networking mode includes splitting user plane data from a core network of the second standard network, the network device of the construction operator may be a core network device. The control device transmits a user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal to a base station in the second standard network (a base station in charge of the control plane), and the base station in the second standard network assigns a user plane channel to the terminal according to the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal.

In step S312, if the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split disabled, the network device of the construction provider transmits user plane data via a user plane channel of the first standard network of the construction provider in response to receiving the user plane data from the terminal.

In step S314, if the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split-enabled, the network device of the construction provider transmits the user plane data via a user plane channel of the first standard network and a user plane channel of the second standard network of the construction provider in response to receiving the user plane data from the terminal.

In step S316, the network device of the construction provider switches the terminal's control plane to the control plane channel of the construction provider's second standard network.

Step S316 and steps S302 to S314 are parallel steps. In response to receiving the control plane information from the terminal, the network device of the construction provider transmits the control plane information of the terminal via a control plane channel of the construction provider's second standard network. The control plane information of all terminals can be transmitted via the control plane channel of the second standard network. The coverage area of the second standard network is larger than the coverage area of the first standard network.

The solution of the above embodiment can be extended to the handover process of a terminal in multiple networks of different network standards. For example, the first standard network may be replaced by one or more shared networks, i.e. the terminals of all types of users can transmit user plane data via the user plane channels of the shared network before or after the handover process. The second standard network can be replaced by one or more networks with a controllable degree of sharing. For a terminal, in order to determine whether the terminal's user plane data can be transmitted via the network with a controllable degree of sharing after the handover process, it is required to determine the user plane split policy of this terminal according to the type of the user of the terminal or according to the type of the user of the terminal and the occupancy rate of the user plane air interface resources provided by the base station in the network with a controllable degree of sharing and occupied by all terminals whose users are of the same type as the terminal. For details of this scheme, reference can be made to the above embodiment and will not be repeated here.

Taking an NSA dual connectivity network that supports networking modes option 3, option 3a and option 3x and is constructed by combining a 4G network and a 5G network as an example, a data transmission method in the dual connectivity network is described below with reference to Figures 4A and 4B.

As shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, both the 4G base station and the 5G base station are connected to the EPC (Evolved Packet Core). The protocol stacks of the 4G base station and the 5G base station include, for example, a PDCP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, a PHY layer, etc. The transmission of control plane information is indicated by a dashed arrow, and the transmission of user plane data is indicated by a solid arrow. Because the cost of building a 5G network is high, it is desirable that the 5G network be jointly built and shared by multiple operators in different regions in order to save the investment of the 5G network. 5G users of various shared operators can use the 5G networks built by different operators. Because each operator has a different PLMN number, for different users, the operator attributes can still be identified in the jointly built and shared 5G network. In the network joint construction and sharing mode, for each local network, the construction operator is responsible for the construction and operation of the 5G network in its area.

When a terminal accesses a shared multiple access network, the network device of the construction operator extracts the PLMN number of the terminal from the signaling in the access process and identifies whether the user of the terminal is a construction operator user or a shared operator user. The user plane split policy of the terminal can be directly determined according to the type of user. In option 3 and option 3x, the user plane split policy of the terminal is provided by the construction operator's 4G base station and can be further determined according to the occupancy rate of the user plane air interface resources occupied by all terminals of the shared operator.

For example, for any user with a PLMN number of the construction operator, the split switch of the 4G user plane channel is set to the ON state, so that all 5G users of the construction operator can use the local 4G network and the local 5G network simultaneously. For any user of the construction operator, the split switch of the 4G user plane channel corresponding to the user is set to the ON state, so that the user plane channels of both the local 4G network and the local 5G network can be used by all 5G dual-connected users of the construction operator. For a user of the shared operator, the split switch of the 4G user plane channel corresponding to this user is set to the OFF state, so that all 5G dual-connected users of the shared operator are allowed to use only the user plane channel of the local 5G network and cannot use the user plane channel of the local 4G network.

Or in option 3 and option 3x, for a user of a shared operator, if the occupancy rate of the user plane air interface resources of the local 4G network occupied by the user of the shared operator reaches a threshold, for subsequent access users of the shared operator, the split switch of the 4G user plane channel corresponding to this user is set to an off state, so that the user is only allowed to use the user plane channel of the local 5G network, and cannot use the user plane channel of the local 4G network. If the occupancy rate of the user plane air interface resources of the local 4G network occupied by the user of the shared operator does not reach a threshold, the split switch of the 4G user plane channel corresponding to the user of the shared operator can be set to an on state, so that the user of the shared operator is allowed to use the user plane channels of both the local 4G network and the local 5G network. Of course, all 5G dual-connection users of the shared operator can still use the control plane channel of the local 4G network to transmit control plane information and ensure the normal operation of the NSA network. Therefore, based on the above sharing solution, the goal of joint construction and sharing of 5G networks and relatively independent operation of 4G networks can be achieved.

When the terminal is in the boundary area between the co-construction 5G network and the shared 5G network constructed by different operators, the change of the constructing operator requires switching the 4G control plane channel for the terminal. In addition, the user's user plane channel sharing policy will also change due to the change of the user's type to the operator. Based on the strategy of sharing the control plane and the flexible control of the degree of sharing the user plane channel, a control plane/user plane channel switching mechanism is designed in the scenario of moving through the boundary area between the co-construction network and the shared network, mainly including the control plane switching mechanism, the recognition of the user's PLMN number, the adjustment of the user plane split policy, etc., to ensure the user's use of the service in the boundary area between the co-construction network and the shared network. Hereinafter, the handover method in the multi-connection network will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B. FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B respectively show the channel switching process in the scenario of two types of users moving through the boundary area between the co-construction network and the shared network.

As shown in FIG. 4A, for a terminal of a user of operator A, the terminal can use the control plane channel and user plane channel of the 4G network in the construction area of operator A, and can simultaneously use the user plane channel of the 5G NR constructed by operator A under the NSA operation mechanism. When the terminal moves from the area constructed by operator A to the area constructed by operator B, the control plane channel of the 4G network of operator A needs to be switched to the control plane channel of the 4G network constructed by operator B. In this case, the network device of operator B identifies the PLMN number of the terminal during the handover process of the terminal and knows that the user of the terminal is a user of the shared operator of operator B. The user plane split policy of the terminal can be directly determined according to the type of the user. In option 3 and option 3x, the user plane split policy of the terminal is provided by the 4G base station of operator B and can be further determined according to the occupancy rate of the user plane air interface resources occupied by all terminals of the shared operator connected to the 4G base station of operator B.

For example, if the user plane split policy is split disabled, the network device of operator B may assign a control plane channel and a user plane channel to the terminal. The terminal can use the 4G control plane channel of operator B, but can only use the 5G user plane channel of operator B, i.e., cannot use the 4G user plane channel of operator B. From the perspective of the entire mobility management mechanism, the user of the terminal has completed the transition from a user of the construction operator to a user of the shared operator. The user plane split policy of the terminal can be a user-level setting that can be configured using a split switch. For example, if the user plane split policy for this terminal is split disabled, operator B can set the split switch of the 4G user plane channel corresponding to this terminal to the off state. In this way, this terminal can only use the 5G user plane channel of operator B, but cannot use the 4G user plane channel of operator B.

As shown in FIG. 4B, for a terminal of a user of operator B, the terminal is treated as a user of a shared operator in the area built by operator A, and is therefore allowed to use the 4G control plane channel of operator A, but can only use the 5G user plane channel of operator A. That is, the terminal is not allowed to use the 4G user plane channel of operator A. When the terminal moves from the area built by operator A to the area built by operator B, it needs to switch the 4G control plane channel of operator A to the control plane channel of the 4G network built by operator B. In this case, the network device of operator B identifies the PLMN number of the terminal during the handover process and knows that the user of the terminal is a user of operator B. Then, the network device of operator B assigns a control plane channel and a user plane channel to the terminal. The terminal can use the 4G control plane channel of operator B, and can use the 4G user plane channel and the 5G user plane channel simultaneously. From the perspective of the entire mobility management mechanism, the user has completed the transition from a user of a shared operator to a user of a built operator. The user plane split policy of the terminal can be a user-level setting that can be configured using a split switch. For example, for this terminal, operator B can set the split switch of the 4G user plane channel corresponding to this terminal to the on state. In this way, this terminal can use not only operator B's 5G user plane channel, but also operator B's 4G user plane channel.

In option 3, for each terminal user, the state of the split switch of the 4G user plane channel can be set on the 4G base station side of the construction operator. For example, the state of the split switch of the 4G user plane channel can be set in the PDCP layer on the 4G base station side of the construction operator. In option 3a, for each terminal user, the state of the split switch of the 4G user plane channel can be set on the core network side of the construction operator. In option 3x, for each terminal user, the state of the split switch of the 4G user plane channel can be set on the 4G base station side of the construction operator. Operators A and B may correspond to different options, and the principle is the same as in the above embodiment and will not be repeated here.

This solution can also be extended to various shared multi-access networks. A 4G network link is equivalent to a connection channel with the best coverage in a multi-access network, and a 5G network link is equivalent to a shared channel in a multi-access network. A multi-access network can be extended from 4G and 5G network connections in an NSA network to multiple network connections of different network standards.

The present disclosure further provides a network device in a multi-connection network, which is described below with reference to FIG. 5.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a network device in a multi-connection network according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5, the device 50 of these embodiments includes a user type determination module 510, a policy determination module 520, and a handover control module 530.

The user type determination module 510 is configured to determine a type of the user of the terminal during a handover process of the terminal to the construction operator's multi-connection network, the type including a first type indicating that the user is a shared operator user or a second type indicating that the user is a construction operator user.

In some embodiments, the user type determination module 510 is configured to, in response to receiving control plane information of the terminal, obtain terminal identification information from the control plane information or via an interface with a network device to which the terminal is connected prior to the terminal handover process, and determine a type of user of the terminal according to the terminal identification information.

In some embodiments, the user type determination module 510 is configured to obtain a public land mobile network (PLMN) number of the terminal via the interface and determine the user type of the terminal according to the PLMN number if an interface is established between the construction operator's network device and the network device to which the terminal is connected before the terminal handover process, or to obtain a PLMN number of the terminal via a radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment process with the terminal and determine the user type of the terminal according to the PLMN number if an interface is not established between the construction operator's network device and the network device to which the terminal is connected before the terminal handover process.

The policy determination module 520 is configured to determine a user plane split policy corresponding to a terminal according to the type of the terminal's user.

In some embodiments, the policy determination module 520 is configured to determine that if the type of the user of the terminal is a first type, the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split-disabled, and to determine that if the type of the user of the terminal is a second type, the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split-enabled.

In some embodiments, the policy determination module 520 is configured to determine a user plane splitting policy corresponding to the terminal according to a type of user of the terminal and an occupancy rate of user plane air interface resources provided by a base station in the second standard network and occupied by all terminals whose users are of the same type as the terminal, when the networking mode includes splitting user plane data from a base station in the second standard network or splitting user plane data from a base station in the first standard network.

In some embodiments, the policy determination module 520 is configured to determine whether an occupancy rate of user plane air interface resources provided by a base station in a second standard network and occupied by all terminals belonging to a user of a shared operator reaches a threshold when the type of the user of the terminal is a first type, determine that the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split disabled if the occupancy rate reaches the threshold, determine that the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split enabled if the occupancy rate does not reach the threshold, and determine that the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split enabled if the type of the user of the terminal is a second type.

The handover control module 530 is configured to switch the user plane channel of the terminal to the user plane channel of the construction provider's first standard network when the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal disables splitting, and to switch the user plane channel of the terminal to the user plane channel of the construction provider's first standard network and the user plane channel of the second standard network when the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal enables splitting.

In some embodiments, the policy determination module 520 is further configured to store the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal in association with the terminal's identification information after determining the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal.

In some embodiments, the policy determination module 520 is further configured to set a split switch of a user plane channel of the second standard network corresponding to the terminal's identification information to an off state if it determines that the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split-disabled, and to set a split switch of a user plane channel of the second standard network corresponding to the terminal's identification information to an on state if it determines that the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split-enabled.

In some embodiments, the handover control module 530 is further configured to switch the terminal's control plane to a control plane channel of the builder's second standard network.

In some embodiments, if the networking mode includes splitting user plane data from a base station in the second standard network or splitting user plane data from a base station in the first standard network, the split switch is configured in a base station in the second standard network, and if the networking mode includes splitting user plane data from a core network device of the second standard network, the split switch is configured in a core network device.

In some embodiments, the first standard network is a fifth generation mobile network and the second standard network is a fourth generation mobile network or a third generation mobile network.

The network devices in the multi-connection network in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by various computing devices or computer systems, and are described below with reference to Figures 6 and 7.

Figure 6 is a configuration diagram of a network device in a multi-connection network according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 6, the network device 60 of this embodiment includes a memory 610 and a processor 620 coupled to the memory 610, and the processor 620 is configured to execute a data transmission method in a multi-connection network according to any one of the embodiments of the present disclosure based on instructions stored in the memory 610.

Here, memory 610 may include, for example, a system memory, a non-volatile fixed storage medium, etc. The system memory stores, for example, an operating system, applications, a boot loader, a database, and other programs.

7 is a configuration diagram of a network device in a multiple connection network according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 7, the network device 70 of this embodiment includes a memory 710 and a processor 720, which are similar to the memory 610 and the processor 620, respectively. It may further include an input/output interface 730, a network interface 740, a storage interface 750, etc. These interfaces 730, 740, 750, the memory 710, and the processor 720 may be connected, for example, via a bus 760. Here, the input/output interface 730 provides a connection interface for input/output devices such as a display, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen, etc. The network interface 740 provides a connection interface for various networked devices, and may be connected, for example, to a database server or a cloud storage server. The storage interface 750 provides a connection interface with an external storage device such as an SD card or a USB flash disk.

The present disclosure further provides a system in a multi-connection network, which is described below with reference to FIG. 8.

Figure 8 is a configuration diagram of a system in a multiple connection network according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 8, the system 8 of this embodiment includes a network device 50/60/70 according to any one of the above embodiments, and a terminal 82 configured to be switched to a multiple connection network of a construction company, and configured to transmit user plane data through a user plane channel of the construction company's first standard network when the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal 82 is split disabled, and to transmit user plane data through a user plane channel of the construction company's first standard network and a user plane channel of the construction company's second standard network when the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal 82 is split enabled.

It should be understood by those skilled in the art that embodiments of the present disclosure may be provided as a method, a system, or a computer program product. Thus, embodiments of the present disclosure may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment containing both hardware and software elements. Furthermore, the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer usable non-transitory storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) having computer usable program code embodied therein.

The present disclosure will be described with reference to flowcharts and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that each process and/or each block in the flowcharts and/or block diagrams, and combinations of processes and/or blocks in the flowcharts and/or block diagrams, may be implemented by computer program instructions. The computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device that generates a machine such that the instructions are executed by a processor of a computer, or that generates means for implementing the functions specified in one or more flows of the flowcharts and/or one or more blocks of the block diagrams.

Computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage device such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage device can instruct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to operate in a particular manner to produce a product having instruction means that implements functions specified in one or more flows of the flowcharts and/or one or more blocks of the block diagrams.

These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable device to perform a series of operational steps on the computer or other programmable device to generate a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions, which execute on the computer or other programmable device, provide steps for implementing functions specified in one or more flows of the flowcharts and/or one or more blocks of the block diagrams.

The above is merely a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure and does not limit the present disclosure. Any modifications, substitutions, improvements, etc. within the spirit and principles of the present disclosure are intended to be included within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

Claims (14)

A handover method in a multi-connection network, which is executed by a network device of a construction operator, comprising:
determining a type of the user of the terminal during a handover process of the terminal to the multi-connection network of the construction operator, the type including a first type indicating that the user is a user of a shared operator and a second type indicating that the user is a user of the construction operator;
determining a user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal according to the type of the user of the terminal;
switching a user plane channel of the terminal to a user plane channel of a first standard network of the construction company when the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split disabled, and switching the user plane channel of the terminal to the user plane channel of the first standard network of the construction company and a user plane channel of a second standard network when the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split enabled;
Switching the control plane of the terminal to a control plane channel of the second standard network of the construction operator;
The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Determining a user plane split policy corresponding to a terminal according to a user type of the terminal,
determining that the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split disabled if the type of the user of the terminal is the first type;
determining that the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split-enabled if the type of the user of the terminal is the second type;
2. The method of claim 1, comprising: The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the step of determining a user plane splitting policy corresponding to the terminal according to the type of the user of the terminal includes, when the networking mode includes splitting user plane data from a base station in the second standard network or splitting user plane data from a base station in the first standard network, determining the user plane splitting policy corresponding to the terminal according to the type of the user of the terminal and an occupancy rate of user plane air interface resources provided by the base station in the second standard network and occupied by all terminals whose user is of the same type as the terminal. Determining a user plane split policy corresponding to a terminal according to a user type of the terminal and an occupancy rate of user plane air interface resources provided by a base station in a second standard network and occupied by all terminals whose users are of the same type as the terminal, comprising:
if the type of the user of the terminal is the first type, determining whether the occupancy rate of the user plane air interface resources provided by the base station in the second standard network and occupied by all terminals belonging to users of the shared operator reaches a threshold, and if the occupancy rate reaches the threshold, determining that the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split disabled, and if the occupancy rate does not reach the threshold, determining that the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split enabled;
If the type of the user of the terminal is the second type, determining that the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split enabled;
4. The method of claim 3, comprising: The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of storing the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal in association with identification information of the terminal after determining the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal. The step of storing a user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal in association with the identification information of the terminal includes:
When it is determined that the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split invalid, setting a split switch of the user plane channel of the second standard network corresponding to the identification information of the terminal to an off state;
When it is determined that the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split enabled, setting the split switch of the user plane channel of the second standard network corresponding to the identification information of the terminal to an on state;
6. The method of claim 5, comprising: The step of determining a type of user of the terminal comprises:
in response to receiving control plane information of the terminal, obtaining an identification of the terminal from the control plane information or via an interface with a network device to which the terminal was connected prior to the handover process of the terminal;
determining the type of the user of the terminal according to the identification information of the terminal;
6. The method according to claim 1 or 5, comprising: The step of determining a type of user of the terminal during a process of handing over the terminal to the multi-access network of the construction operator includes:
If an interface is set between the network device of the construction company and a network device to which the terminal was connected before the handover process of the terminal, obtaining a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) number of the terminal through the interface and determining the type of the user of the terminal according to the PLMN number;
If the interface is not set between the network device of the construction provider and the network device to which the terminal is connected before the handover process of the terminal, obtaining the PLMN number of the terminal through a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection establishment process with the terminal, and determining the type of the user of the terminal according to the PLMN number;
2. The method of claim 1, comprising: The method of claim 6, characterized in that the splitting switch is configured in the base station in the second standard network if the networking mode includes splitting user plane data from a base station in the second standard network or splitting user plane data from a base station in the first standard network, and the splitting switch is configured in a core network device if the networking mode includes splitting user plane data from a core network of the second standard network. 10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the first standard network is a fifth generation mobile network and the second standard network is a fourth generation mobile network or a third generation mobile network. A network device in a multiple access network, comprising:
a user type determination module configured to determine a type of a user of the terminal during a handover process of the terminal to the multi-connection network of a construction operator, the type including a first type indicating that the user is a user of a shared operator and a second type indicating that the user is a user of the construction operator;
a policy determination module configured to determine a user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal according to the type of the user of the terminal;
a handover control module configured to switch a user plane channel of the terminal to a user plane channel of a first standard network of the construction company when the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split disabled, and to switch the user plane channel of the terminal to the user plane channel of the first standard network of the construction company and a user plane channel of a second standard network when the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal is split enabled;
Equipped with
A network device , characterized in that the handover control module is configured to switch a control plane of the terminal to a control plane channel of the second standard network of the construction provider . A network device in a multiple access network, comprising:
A processor;
a memory coupled to said processor and storing instructions which, when executed by said processor, cause said processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 10 ;
A network device comprising: A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a computer program which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 . 1. A system in a multiple access network, comprising:
A network device according to claim 11 or 12 ;
a terminal configured to be taken over by the multiple access network of a construction company, the terminal being configured to transmit user plane data via a user plane channel of a first standard network of the construction company when a user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal indicates that splitting is disabled, and to transmit the user plane data via the user plane channel of the first standard network of the construction company and a user plane channel of a second standard network of the construction company when the user plane split policy corresponding to the terminal indicates that splitting is enabled;
A system comprising: